Substrate for semiconductor device, semiconductor device having the substrate, and manufacturing method thereof

ABSTRACT

A substrate for a semiconductor device is provided. The substrate includes a first metal line, a second metal line, a metal support part, a first insulating part, and a second insulating part. The first metal line is electrically connected to a first electrode of the semiconductor device. The second metal line is electrically connected to a second electrode of the semiconductor device and spaced apart from the first metal line. The metal support part is disposed between the first metal line and the second metal line. The first insulating part is disposed between the first metal line and the metal support part and configured to electrically insulate the first metal line from the metal support part. The second insulating part is disposed between the second metal line and the metal support part and configured to electrically insulate the second metal line from the metal support part.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean PatentApplication No. 2011-0078478, filed on Aug. 8, 2011, the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a substrate for a semiconductor device,a semiconductor device having the substrate, and a manufacturing methodthereof, and more particularly, to a substrate for a semiconductordevice having improved heat dissipation characteristics, a semiconductordevice having the substrate, and a method of manufacturing thesemiconductor device.

2. Discussion of Related Art

In general, a semiconductor device is mounted on a substrate andreceives power through the substrate. Recently, among such semiconductordevices, interest in a Light Emitting Diode (LED) that generates lightis increasing. The LED is a semiconductor device for convertingelectrical energy into optical energy. The LED is recently attractingattention as a light source since it has low power consumption, isenvironmental-friendly, and lasts a long time. The LED has been mainlyused in general lights, mobile phones, liquid crystal displays (LCDs),vehicle lights, etc., and its use is expanding to more variousindustrial fields.

A semiconductor device that receives power emits heat. The heat maydeteriorate the characteristics of the semiconductor device if the heatis not dissipated to the outside. Particularly, when it receives power,the LED emits heat while creating light, and the heat emitted from theLED deteriorates the optical efficiency and lifespan of the LED.Accordingly, a considerable amount of research into heat dissipation ofa semiconductor device such as a LED device is being conducted.Specifically, research into technology for dissipating heat generated bya semiconductor device through a substrate whose lower surface thesemiconductor device is mounted on is being actively conducted. And,considerable effort is aimed at manufacturing a semiconductor packageincluding a semiconductor device at a low cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a substrate for a semiconductordevice that has excellent heat dissipation characteristics and can bemanufactured at a low cost.

The present invention is also directed to a Light Emitting Diode (LED)device including a substrate for a semiconductor device.

The present invention is also directed to a method of manufacturing asemiconductor device capable of achieving process simplification andreducing manufacturing cost.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided asubstrate for a semiconductor device including a first metal line, asecond metal line, a metal support part, a first insulating part, and asecond insulating part. The first metal line is electrically connectedto a first electrode of the semiconductor device. The second metal lineis electrically connected to a second electrode of the semiconductordevice and spaced apart from the first metal line. The metal supportpart is disposed between the first metal line and the second metal line.The first insulating part is disposed between the first metal line andthe metal support part and configured to electrically insulate the firstmetal line from the metal support part. The second insulating part isdisposed between the second metal line and the metal support part andconfigured to electrically insulate the second metal line from the metalsupport part.

The metal support part is formed of aluminum, and the first and secondinsulating parts are formed of aluminum oxide. The first and secondmetal lines are formed of aluminum or copper.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provideda semiconductor device including a substrate and at least onesemiconductor element. The substrate includes a metal support parthaving first and second surfaces opposite to each other and lateralsurfaces connecting the first surface to the second surface, a firstmetal line formed on the first surface, a second metal line formed onthe second surface, a first insulating part formed between the firstsurface and the first metal line, and a second insulating part formedbetween the second surface and the second metal line. The semiconductorelement includes a first electrode electrically connected to the firstmetal line, and a second electrode electrically connected to the secondmetal line.

The semiconductor element is disposed on one lateral surface of themetal support part. The metal support part is formed of aluminum, andthe first and second insulating parts are formed of aluminum oxide. Thefirst and second metal lines are formed of aluminum or copper

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provideda method of manufacturing a semiconductor device. First, a firstinsulating layer is formed on a first surface of a support plate, and asecond insulating layer is formed on a second surface of the supportplate, the second surface being opposite to the first surface. Then, afirst metal layer is formed on the first insulating layer, and a secondmetal layer is formed on the second insulating layer. Next, the firstmetal layer, the first insulating layer, the support plate, the secondinsulating layer, and the second metal layer are cut in a directionperpendicular to the first surface of the support plate. Then, asemiconductor element is fixed on the cut section of the support plate.Next, first and second electrodes of the semiconductor element areelectrically connected to the first and second metal layers,respectively.

The forming of the first and second insulating layers includes anodizingthe support plate formed of a metal material to form metal oxide layerson the first and second surfaces of the support plate, respectively. Forexample, the support plate is an aluminum plate, and the metal oxidelayers are aluminum oxide layers.

The forming of the first metal layer includes attaching a first aluminumthin film or a first copper thin film to the first insulating layer, andthe forming of the second metal layer includes attaching a secondaluminum thin film or a first copper thin film to the second insulatinglayer.

The forming of the first metal layer includes depositing or platingaluminum or copper on the first insulating layer, and the forming of thesecond metal layer includes depositing or plating aluminum or copper onthe second insulating layer.

According to the examples described above, by forming a substrate with ametal or metal oxide having excellent thermal conductivity to thustransfer heat generated by a semiconductor device to the lower surfaceof the substrate, it is possible to improve the lifespan andcharacteristics of the semiconductor device.

Furthermore, by forming an insulating layer with a constant thicknessthrough anodization, it is possible to improve the electricalcharacteristics of a semiconductor device.

In addition, it is possible to achieve process simplification and reducethe manufacturing cost of a semiconductor device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in theart by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with referenceto the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing an example of a semiconductordevice;

FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device shown inFIG. 1A cut along a line X-X′; and

FIGS. 2A through 2D are perspective views for explaining an example of amethod of manufacturing a semiconductor device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described indetail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. While thepresent invention is shown and described in connection with exemplaryembodiments thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the artthat various modifications can be made without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention.

In case it is mentioned that a certain component is “disposed” or“connected” on or to another component or layer, it may be understoodthat the certain component is directly disposed on or connected to theanother component or that a component is interposed between thecomponents. However, in case it is mentioned that a certain component is“directly” disposed or “connected” on or to another component, it shouldbe understood that no component is interposed between the components.Though terms including ordinal numbers such as a “first”, a “second”, a“third”, etc. may be used to explain various components, such aselements, composites, regions, layers and/or parts, the components arenot limited to the terms.

Terms used in the present invention are to merely explain specificembodiments, thus it is not meant to be limiting. Except that they arenot differently defined, all terms used in the present inventionincluding technical or scientific terms have the same meanings withterms that are generally understood by those skilled in the art relatedto the field of the present invention. The terms same as those of whichare defined in a general dictionary should be understood that the termshave meanings same as contextual meanings of the related art. And, aslong as the terms are not definitely defined in the present invention,the terms are not interpreted as ideal or excessively formal meanings.

Examples of the present invention will be described with reference tocross-section drawings that are schematic drawings of ideal embodiments.Accordingly, the drawings allow changes in shape, for example, changesin manufacturing method and/or permissible error. In other words, theexamples of the present invention are not limited to the specific shapesillustrated in the drawings but include some deviations in shape. Also,the regions shown in the drawings are merely schematic, and the shapesof the regions are intended neither to show the exact shapes of theregions nor to limit the scope of the invention.

Semiconductor Device

FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing an example of a semiconductordevice 10, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of the semiconductordevice 10 shown in FIG. 1A cut along a line X-X′.

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, the semiconductor device 10 includes atleast one semiconductor element 200 and a substrate 100.

The semiconductor element 200 may include first and second electrodes201 and 202 for receiving power from the outside. For example, thesemiconductor element 200 may be a Light Emitting Diode (LED) chip. TheLED chip 200 is a semiconductor device for converting electrical energyinto optical energy. That is, the LED chip 200 may include the first andsecond electrodes 201 and 202 for receiving power from the outside togenerate light. For example, the LED chip 200 may be a red LED chip forgenerating red light, a green LED chip for generating green light, ablue LED chip for generating blue light, or a white LED chip forgenerating white light. In the current example, the LED chip 200 mayhave an arbitrary shape or structure. For example, the LED chip 200 maybe a well-known LED chip. Accordingly, details about the LED chip 200will be omitted.

The substrate 100 may include a metal support part 110, a firstinsulating part 120, a second insulating part 130, a first metal line140, and a second metal line 150.

The metal support part 110 may include a first surface, a second surfaceopposite to the first surface, and connecting surfaces that connect thefirst surface to the second surface. For example, the metal support part110 may be in a rectangular shape. The semiconductor element 200 may bedisposed on one of the connecting surfaces of the metal support part110. According to an example, the metal support part 110 may be formedof a metal whose surface can be oxidized by anodization. For example,the metal support part 110 may be formed of aluminum, titanium,tantalum, magnesium, hafnium, or an alloy thereof.

The first insulating part 120 may be formed on the first surface of themetal support part 110. The first insulating part 120 may cover theentire area of the first surface of the metal support part 110. Thefirst insulating part 120 may electrically insulate the metal supportpart 110 from the first metal line 140. The first insulating part 120may be formed of an organic or inorganic insulating material. Accordingto an example, the first insulating part 120 may be an anodized layerformed by anodizing the metal support part 110. For example, if themetal support part 110 is formed of aluminum, the first insulating part120 may be an aluminum oxide layer formed by anodizing the metal supportpart 110.

The second insulating part 130 may be formed on the second surface ofthe metal support part 110, the second surface being opposite to thefirst surface. The second insulating part 130 may cover the entire areaof the second surface of the metal support part 110. The secondinsulating part 130 electrically insulates the metal support part 110from the second metal line 150. The second insulating part 130 may beformed of an organic or inorganic insulating material. According to anexample, the second insulating part 130 may be an anodized oxide layerformed by anodizing the metal support part 110. For example, if themetal support part 110 is formed of aluminum, the second insulating part130 may be an aluminum oxide layer formed by anodizing the metal supportpart 110.

The first metal line 140 may be formed on the first insulating part 120.The first metal line 140 may be a metal thin film having substantiallythe same area as the first surface of the metal support part 110. Thefirst metal line 140 may be formed of a conductive material. Forexample, the first metal line 140 may be formed of aluminum or copper.According to an example, the first metal line 140 may be a metal thinfilm attached to the first insulating part 120 through adhesive, etc.According to another example, the first metal line 140 may be a metalthin film formed on the first insulating part 120 through deposition.According to still another example, the first metal line 140 may be ametal thin film formed on the first insulating part 120 through platingsuch as electroless plating. The first metal line 140 may beelectrically connected to the first electrode 201 of the semiconductorelement 200. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the first metalline 140 may be electrically connected to the first electrode 201 of thesemiconductor element 200 through a first wire 31. Alternatively, thefirst metal line 140 may be directly electrically connected to the firstelectrode 201 of the semiconductor element 200 using solder, ananisotropic conductive film, etc.

The second metal line 150 may be formed on the second insulating part130. The second metal line 150 may be a metal thin film havingsubstantially the same area as the second surface of the metal supportpart 110. The second metal line 150 may be formed of a conductivematerial. For example, the second metal line 150 may be formed ofaluminum or copper. According to an example, the second metal line 150may be a metal thin film attached to the second insulating part 130through adhesive, etc. According to another example, the second metalline 150 may be a metal thin film formed on the second insulating part130 through deposition. According to still another example, the secondmetal line 150 may be a metal thin film formed on the second insulatingpart 130 through plating such as electroless plating. The second metalline 150 may be electrically connected to the second electrode 202 ofthe semiconductor element 200. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B,the second metal line 150 may be electrically connected to the secondelectrode 202 of the semiconductor element 200 through a second wire 33.Alternatively, the second metal line 150 may be directly electricallyconnected to the second electrode 202 of the semiconductor element 200using solder, an anisotropic conductive film, etc.

In the semiconductor device 10 according to the current example, byfixing the semiconductor element 200 on one of the connecting surfacesof the metal support part 110, it is possible to quickly dissipate heatgenerated from the semiconductor element 200 through the lower surfaceof the substrate 100.

Method of Manufacturing a Semiconductor Device

FIGS. 2A through 2D are perspective views for explaining an example of amethod of manufacturing a semiconductor device.

Referring to FIG. 2A, a support plate 1100 is prepared. The supportplate 1100 may be formed of a metal or alloy whose surface can beoxidized by anodization. For example, the support plate 1100 may beformed of aluminum, titanium, tantalum, magnesium, hafnium, or an alloythereof.

Next, referring to FIG. 2B, a first insulating layer 1200 is formed onthe upper surface of the support plate 1100, and a second insulatinglayer 1300 is formed on the lower surface of the support plate 1100. Thefirst and second insulating layers 1200 and 1300 may be formed of anorganic or inorganic insulating material. According to an example, thefirst and second insulating layers 1200 and 1300 may be formed byanodizing the support plate 1100 so that an anodized oxide film isformed on the entire surface of the support plate 1100. For example, ifthe support plate 1100 is an aluminum plate, an aluminum oxide film maybe formed on the entire surface of the aluminum plate 1100 by anodizingthe aluminum plate 1100. In this case, the aluminum oxide film formed onthe upper surface of the aluminum plate 1100 may act as the firstinsulating layer 1200, and the aluminum oxide film formed on the lowersurface of the aluminum plate 1100 may act as the second insulatinglayer 1300.

Then, referring to FIG. 2C, a first metal layer 1400 is formed on thefirst insulating layer 1200, and a second metal layer 1500 is formed onthe second insulating layer 1300. The first metal layer 1400 may beformed to cover the entire area of the upper surface of the supportplate 1100, and the second metal layer 1500 may be formed to cover theentire area of the lower surface of the support plate 1100. The firstand second metal layers 1400 and 1500 may be formed of a conductivematerial. For example, the first and second metal layers 1400 and 1500may be formed of aluminum or copper. According to an example, first andsecond metal thin films are attached to the first and second insulatinglayer 1200 and 1300, respectively, using adhesive, etc., to thereby formthe first and second metal layers 1400 and 1500, respectively. Accordingto another example, the first and second metal layers 1400 and 1500 maybe formed on the first and second insulating layer 1200 and 1300,respectively, through deposition. According to still another example,the first and second metal layers 1400 and 1500 may be formed on thefirst and second insulating layer 1200 and 1300, respectively, throughplating such as electroless plating.

For convenience of description, a substrate manufactured through theprocess described above is referred to as a “mother substrate” 2000.That is, the mother substrate 2000 includes the support plate 1100, thefirst insulating layer 1200, the second metal layer 1400, the secondinsulating layer 1300, and the second metal layer 1500, wherein thefirst insulating layer 1200 and the first metal layer 1400 aresequentially formed on the upper surface of the support plate 1100, andthe second insulating layer 1300 and the second metal layer 1500 aresequentially formed on the lower surface of the support plate 1100.

Next, referring to FIG. 2D, the mother substrate 2000 is cut in adirection perpendicular to the upper or lower surface of the supportplate 1100, thereby manufacturing a substrate that will be used for thesemiconductor device according to the present invention. The mothersubstrate 2000 may be cut by a mechanical method or using a laser. Forexample, a laser cutter is used to cut the mother substrate 2000 in adirection perpendicular to the upper or lower surface of the supportplate 1100. In detail, the mother substrate 2000 may be cut along afirst section that is spaced apart by a predetermined distance from one(referred to as a first lateral surface) of the lateral surfaces of themother substrate 2000 and that is parallel to the first lateral surface,and the cut-off portion may be used as a substrate for the semiconductordevice according to the present invention. If the first lateral surfaceof the mother substrate 2000 is not flat or has a defect, the mothersubstrate 200 is primarily cut along a first section that issubstantially parallel to the first lateral surface of the mothersubstrate 2000 in order to remove the defective portion, and then themother substrate 2000 is secondarily cut along a second section that isspaced apart by a predetermined from the first section and parallel tothe first section, so that the cut-off portion between the first andsecond sections is used as a substrate for the semiconductor deviceaccording to the present invention.

Then, referring again to FIGS. 1A and 1B, the semiconductor element 200is fixed on one cut section of the substrate 100. The semiconductorelement 200 may be an LED chip. The cut section of the substrate 100includes the cut sections of the first and second metal layers 1400 and1500 (the first and second metal lines 140 and 150 in FIGS. 1A and 1B)formed in parallel at both lateral sides of the substrate 100, the cutsection of the support plate 1100 (the support part 110 in FIGS. 1A and1B) formed in the center portion of the substrate 100 and coplanar withthe cut sections of the first and second metal layers 1400 and 1500, thecut section of the first insulating layer 1200 (the first insulatingpart 120 in FIGS. 1A and 1B) formed between the cut section of the firstmetal layer 1400 and the cut section of the support plate 1100, and thecut section of the second insulating layer 1300 (the second insulatingpart 130 in FIGS. 1A and 1B) formed between the cut section of thesecond metal layer 1500 and the cut section of the support plate 1100.The semiconductor element 200 may be fixed on the cut section of thesupport plate 1100.

Thereafter, the first electrode 201 of the semiconductor element 200 iselectrically connected to the first metal layer 1400. Next, the secondelectrode 202 of the semiconductor element 200 is electrically connectedto the second metal layer 1500. For example, the first and secondelectrodes 201 and 202 of the semiconductor element 200 may beelectrically connected to the first and second metal layers 1400 and1500 through the first and second wires 31 and 33, respectively.Alternatively, the first electrode 201 of the semiconductor element 200is formed to extend onto the cut section of the first metal layer 1400,the second electrode 202 of the semiconductor element 200 is formed toextend onto the cut section of the second metal layer 1500, and then thefirst and second electrodes 201 and 202 are connected directly to thefirst and second metal layers 1400 and 1500, respectively, using solder,an anisotropic conductive film, etc.

According to the semiconductor device manufacturing method describedabove, since insulating layers can be formed with constant thicknesses,it is possible to improve the electrical characteristics of asemiconductor device and manufacture the semiconductor device at lowcost through a simple process. Also, the thickness of a substrate onwhich semiconductor device is mounted can be easily adjusted asnecessary.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications can be made to the above-described exemplary embodimentsof the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope ofthe invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention coversall such modifications provided they come within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents.

1. A substrate for a semiconductor device, comprising: a first metalline electrically connected to a first electrode of the semiconductordevice; a second metal line electrically connected to a second electrodeof the semiconductor device and spaced apart from the first metal line;a metal support part disposed between the first metal line and thesecond metal line; a first insulating part disposed between the firstmetal line and the metal support part and configured to electricallyinsulate the first metal line from the metal support part; and a secondinsulating part disposed between the second metal line and the metalsupport part and configured to electrically insulate the second metalline from the metal support part.
 2. The substrate of claim 1, whereinthe metal support part is formed of aluminum, and the first and secondinsulating parts are formed of aluminum oxide.
 3. The substrate of claim2, wherein the first and second metal lines are formed of aluminum orcopper.
 4. A semiconductor device comprising: a substrate including ametal support part having first and second surfaces opposite to eachother and lateral surfaces connecting the first surface to the secondsurface, a first metal line formed on the first surface, a second metalline formed on the second surface, a first insulating part formedbetween the first surface and the first metal line, and a secondinsulating part formed between the second surface and the second metalline; and at least one semiconductor element including a first electrodeelectrically connected to the first metal line, and a second electrodeelectrically connected to the second metal line.
 5. The semiconductordevice of claim 4, wherein the semiconductor element is disposed on onelateral surface of the metal support part.
 6. The semiconductor deviceof claim 4, wherein the metal support part is formed of aluminum, andthe first and second insulating parts are formed of aluminum oxide 7.The semiconductor device of claim 4, wherein the first and second metallines are formed of aluminum or copper.
 8. A method of manufacturing asemiconductor device, comprising: forming a first insulating layer on afirst surface of a support plate, and forming a second insulating layeron a second surface of the support plate, the second surface beingopposite to the first surface; forming a first metal layer on the firstinsulating layer; forming a second metal layer on the second insulatinglayer; cutting the first metal layer, the first insulating layer, thesupport plate, the second insulating layer, and the second metal layer,in a direction perpendicular to the first surface of the support plate;fixing a semiconductor element on the cut section of the support plate;and electrically connecting first and second electrodes of thesemiconductor element to the first and second metal layers,respectively.
 9. The method of claim 9, wherein the forming of the firstand second insulating layers comprises anodizing the support plateformed of a metal material to form metal oxide layers on the first andsecond surfaces of the support plate, respectively.
 10. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the support plate is an aluminum plate, and the metaloxide layers are aluminum oxide layers.
 11. The method of claim 8,wherein the forming of the first metal layer comprises attaching a firstaluminum thin film or a first copper thin film to the first insulatinglayer, and the forming of the second metal layer comprises attaching asecond aluminum thin film or a first copper thin film to the secondinsulating layer.
 12. The method of claim 8, wherein the forming of thefirst metal layer comprises depositing or plating aluminum or copper onthe first insulating layer, and the forming of the second metal layercomprises depositing or plating aluminum or copper on the secondinsulating layer.